The Brave Babes Battle Bus - Springing Into Some Warmer Weather, Staying Sober Togeher

[Mouseface]

Hi, tis me, Mouse

Welcome to the Bus. We're delighted to have you here :) Not because if you're new to the Babes you are here for help, but because we welcome every kind of drinker. And for all of the reasons life throws at you.

Those that do drink, those that don't drink and of course those who do but don't want to say just how much..............

We've all had our own personal Groundhog Day , some still are and don't want to remain trapped in the same cycle day in, day out, and some still are and want to be which is fine and why we're here.

To talk, to listen, to just be us, like you are YOU. You never know, one day you might just want to wake up on a different day? :) There's no judging here, no 'sides.

After all, something made you click on and read this :)

Come say hi! We even do & if you're super quick!!

And if you want to see what we got up to in the last thread, have a look RIGHT HERE

And this is where our adventure began, almost six years ago now!!

ALMOST SIX YEARS AGO...........

Morning all
Had a great nights sleep and ready to tackle the day.
Will check in with you all later. Sun is shining here and I am going to keep busy by planting some pots.
Meanwhile ma for you

I had a great sleep! Im in bed with a cup of tea .

Lovely day here too. Will take DD to a farm park later.

Welcome forever you will find support and like minded people here. Well done for taking the first step

Morning claret, will, bloody, elba, sober, ma and isinde hope I haven't forgotten anyone!

Ooooh we're off to Barcelona I see.

It's taken me ages to catch up with the thread, it's been going like the clappers!

ma sometimes forced change leads us to take those steps we would otherwise not have the courage to do. When the choice is taken from us, we just have to dive in and make the best of it so, who knows, maybe this will turn out to be something great? Que sera sera

Oh, and you can live your life over again. You've only been a 'proper' adult for about 32 years and you've got another 32 to go yet I expect, so how do you want to live them? This is your chance now to do something for yourself so that you don't look back on your life when you're 84 and still want to do it all differently.

(((Hugs)))

lala have you tried any alcohol free drinks? Becks blue is popular on here and I noticed yesterday that the co-op have Eisberg AF wine on the shelves now. These are sometimes good for 'emergencies' when you feel overwhelmed and are about to impulsively give in.

Having an AF drink is sometimes enough to satisfy that urge and it will certainly give you a bit of breathing space to get your thinking straight again. Just a thought, well done for seeing it through last night.

Hurrah for Barcelona! I wonder if they do AF sangria? Although last time I was there, I remember having the most amazing hot chocolate - it was literally like liquid chocolate in a glass... Heaven!

ma coughs are flipping horrible, I hate them. And actually looking back on it, I remember being at uni, having a hacking cough (the sort when you can't lie down or talk etc without sounding like you are about to depart your mortal coil...) and I remember thinking 'ooooh maybe if I drink this bottle of wine, that will help me get some sleep'... And downhill from there obviously, do not use this method!

fair I have tried the becks blue and AF wine, but they just tasted wrong (obviously as they are AF, duh), and a bit sweet? But better than a bucket of wine, Eh?

It's a beautiful day here today as well, sun is out, coffee has been consumed. I am not feeling too bad. Still a bit wobbly. Why is it that the after effects last longer as you get older?? Going to try and get out to go for a ride this afternoon, make the most of the weather.

Hope you are all well? Can't remember who said it (and phone won't let me scroll back ) but taking dd to the farm sounds like a fab way to spend the afternoon. Anyone else up to anything exciting?

fair that's a good idea about the AF drinks, I don't mind a Becks blue but haven't tried a AF wine, don't they just tast like a fruit drink?

will they taste quite sweet IMHO. Would be nice to know if anyone has found a good replacement one that doesn't taste so odd. Mind you, it's probably just me, cursing it and comparing it to proper wine! Schloer and stuff can be a nice replacement. But I get worried that drinking sugary drinks late at night (Obvs when I would normally have wine) will keep me awake? And I am the world's worst sleeper at the best of times, can't even have tea after about 1pm in case it keeps me awake. I am clearly a special kind of crazy.

As an aside... Has anyone tried AA? Any thoughts on it?

Wine is very sweet and full of sugar, especially if you haven't had any for a while. The last time I had a glass of white wine I couldn't finish it because it was too sweet for my taste. It was a Fairtrade Sauvignon so maybe it was just the brand.

I think most of the AF wines do taste like apple juice. AF beer is better imo or just a lovely fever tree tonic water with ice and lemon. We call it n&t (nothing and tonic). It's more about having the wine glass, having the chilled drink, having the 'occasion' of drinking and just not having the alcohol.

I think of it a bit like ADHD which causes impulsive behaviour but there is medication that can stop that impulse and give you time to make the decision that you really want to make iyswim. AF drinks are a great 'go to' option when you're about to do something you will later regret. They just give a bit of time and decision making space and maybe just quench your thirst too

this sparkling AF wine is actually great for special occasions when everyone else is having bubbly. Or to treat yourself to a special, different drink when you're fed up with soft drinks.

this medium dry one is a bit appley but will do in an emergency and is better than others I've tried.

There is a more expensive organic AF wine on that site which is described as dry but I haven't tried it so don't know.

I've just noticed a comment on that site - 'If you can visit our Manchester shop you can taste our drinks for free to find the ones you like.'

Don't know if any babes are in the Manchester area and fancy a non-wine tasting experience?

I went to AA for a long time. I found it lovely. Like snuggly duvet.

Hello lovely babes

Huge well done lala on opening wine and resisting...that is hardcore resistance. I can count on one hand how many times i've resisted a drink when there is wine in the house...i find it almost impossible.

elba well done on another af night! and on one of the traditionally harder days of the week (i know its a bit different when you work shifts but still impressive in my eyes). Hope you've given yourself a well deserved pat on the back.

I had a couple of glasses of wine last night - all very moderated and controlled, i made sure i ate dinner too, so i'm ok with that. Tucked up in bed by 10. My nemesis (mostly) is social drinking...where others will have 2 drinks i'll have 6....then 7...then 8. Then i'll throw up. THAT HAS TO STOP.

I bought a case of various AF wines a few years back...mostly tasted of apple juice but some were definitely palatable. I'd have to say lime and soda is probably a tastier choice though personally! Although i think AF wine is improving more and more....Becks Blue is nice.

Sorry not to nc all. Hope you're all having sunny sundays.

Thank you faire . yes, things happen for a reason and maybe I need to be forced out of this job to free me up for another...its just that I need a link to this current organisation to help me to do what I want to do. I should stop moaning. Tomorrow I am off soldier ogling with the chaps who are "WIS" - wounded, Injured and sick - to do some employability stuff. They have all lost, or are losing their current job and need to move on. Maybe they will inspire me to stop being such a torn-faced old bag.

OK so I've made up the spare bed, got the sofa bed out, washed some towels and told the DSs to be on their best behaviour...Barcelona is ready for the Babes' arrival!

I've had a bit of booze at the in-laws this lunchtime - I knew I would, it's the sunshine that makes me do it . But like you Claret, if I can just be mindful about my drinking and only have some when I actually want it then I feel ok about it. However, that's what I said last Sunday and lunchtime drinking turned into evening drinking which turned into a big ugly mess...so we shall see.

FYI I know exactly what hot chocolate you are talking about La and it is basically melted dark chocolate in a mug with whipped cream on top (optional). I had it all the time when I was pregnant (winter babies), hence the fact that both DSs were more than 9 pounds at birth!

They do really good AF beers here and if you have a shandy with an AF beer and lemon Fanta you can hardly tell the difference.

Have happy memories of a holiday in Barcelona. Have friends in Begues. Great place. Dd1 is desperate to live and work in Spain. She goes over for months at a time to Cantalejo and then when she can't find any work, ends up back here again depressed and miserable. She's proficient in Spanish( self -taught) and it seems to be where her heart is, but she just can't get onto the employment ladder. She didn't really pick the best country employment wise.

Bee I wrote you a big welcome message earlier and then lost the whole thing but suffice to say you are very welcome here. Can you tell us about yourself?

No she didn't Ma! What does she want to do? Maybe I can help...

(Las) Begues is just down the road from me.

Oh and margie super jealous at your lovely Spanish living! I spent quite a bit of time in Catalonia in my youth, beautiful part of the world. Sunday lunchtime drinking is something i regularly battle with...as you say...it can often spiral into an all day drinking session. If you're worried, brush your teeth - that'll put you off any more wine for a bit at least.

Been at a local garden centre this morning with dd, utterly exhausted now. She has boundless energy!

PS. Elba, you are doing so well, only a few weeks ago you wrote that you couldn't imagine an AF night and here you are going and doing it!!! On a Saturday!!! Amazing, I take my hat off to you.

Sorry me again...

bee, journeyon, welcome!! You'll find lots of support here.

Where were you in Catalunya Claret? Holidays or work? Yes it's a great place to live, I feel very lucky. I think I'll be ok today, have stopped drinking now and will have a quiet night, last Sunday we had people staying who were on holiday so they cracked open the wine on Sunday evening and of course I couldn't say no...

Did i just make up journeyon? feel like i've finally lost it. I could have sworn we had a newbie called that

....A friends family live out there so my friend and i would fly out a couple of times a year when we were teens (we felt ever so grown up), they live in Sitges. I fell in love with the beautiful traditional spanish houses and teeny tiny tapas restaurants. Not been in years so no idea if its the same now but it'll always have a place in my heart.

Margie She's doing an OU degree in psychology bit I think will work at anything if she could get a chance to settle in Spain. Happy to send her CV if you have any contacts.. I know she would want to be near Cantalejo and Segovia where her friends are but she's not in a position to choose to be honest!

My AF hangovers seem to be worse than my drinking ones at the moment, only just starting to feel human! But two AF days in a week for me, and im on 49 units since this time last week so finally got below 50 so I'm pleased. I've had some big binges in between so not kidding myself that this is ok in the long term but it's a start.

claret well done for last night- being able to stop at a couple of glasses takes a lot of control. Do you enjoy the wine more when you are being careful to moderate? Often think I don't really taste or appreciate it when I'm drinking heavily.

margie I think the lunchtime drinking in the sun would be my nemesis if I lived where you do. Would love to be someone who could enjoy a lunchtime beer occasionally then stop and get on with the rest of the day!

For the last few years every new year I've made a resolution to have two AF days a week and failed to even have one until the idea has fizzled out and my head has been placed back in the sand. The only thing I've done different now is post here, and like margie said a few weeks ago I couldn't imagine having one AF day. So I'm really truly grateful for all of your support and encouragement

Regarding AF drinks, I've found diet ginger beer a good alternative. I think it's the fizz and strong flavour. Also tried a couple of those bass shandy drinks but they just tasted of stale beer!

And sober so sorry about your cat. What a crappy end to your birthday. But I hope you can take some comfort from being there to comfort her at the end